Gasp! She's a Time Traveler Using Modern Tech to Improve Ancient Life

Chapter 888: Xiao Chong Side Story 9_2

"No need, it’s almost done, already on the spin cycle." Lin Wanwan didn’t step aside.

Sure enough, less than a minute after Lin Wanwan said this, the washing machine let out a long beeping sound to signal it was done.

"I told my grandpa you were going to help fix the washing machine, and he asked me to give you the repair fee." Lin Wanwan held three one-hundred-dollar bills and handed them to Xiao Chong.

Xiao Chong chuckled, "Isn’t it said distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors? Why be so distant?"

"Hey, let’s keep things clear and separate!"

"We can talk about that after it’s fixed."

"Alright then." Lin Wanwan couldn’t hand over the money, so she put it back into the pocket of her school pants.

She lifted the washing machine lid and took out the clumped-up bedsheets and covers.

Xiao Chong stepped forward to help her, "Where do we hang these to dry?"

"On the drying rod at home. We’ll take them out tomorrow during the day, it’s getting dark now."

"Alright, I’ll help you."

After hanging up the bedsheets and covers to dry, and moving the washing machine onto a cart, Xiao Chong and Lin Wanwan headed to Xiao Chong’s villa together.

"If you need to use a washing machine in the next couple of days, you can use mine. This one may not be fixed in a day or two." After Xiao Chong pulled the washing machine through the door, he placed it to one side and said to Lin Wanwan.

"It’s alright, I won’t need it for now." Lin Wanwan stood in Xiao Chong’s living room for a moment before preparing to leave.

"Wait a moment." Xiao Chong, who had just finished cutting some fruits, called out to her, "I’m going upstairs to get something, wait for me."

"Oh, okay."

Xiao Chong handed the fruit platter to Lin Wanwan and then quickly went upstairs.

In no time, Xiao Chong came back down, holding a pink cake with a candle lit in his right hand, and a slender cylinder in his left hand.

"Wanwan, happy birthday!"

Lin Wanwan raised her head in surprise, watching Xiao Chong come closer.

"How did you know today is my birthday?"

With a smile, Xiao Chong said, "I saw the class roster in the old teacher’s hands, and knowing your grandpa’s traditional nature, I thought you must celebrate your lunar birthday."

He then held the cake out to her, "Blow out the candle and make a wish."

Now that it was right in front of her, Lin Wanwan had no reason to be pretentious. She clasped her hands together beneath her lips and closed her eyes to make a wish.

Xiao Chong looked at Lin Wanwan’s fan-like drooping eyelashes, casting a shadow in the candlelight, and felt as if they gently brushed against his heart.

Lin Wanwan didn’t keep him in suspense for long, as she opened her eyes and blew out the candle.

"You looked so serious, what did you wish for?" Xiao Chong placed the cake on the coffee table in the living room and asked Lin Wanwan.

"If I say it out loud, it won’t come true. I can’t tell you." Lin Wanwan wrinkled her nose and gave a cheeky smile.

"Alright, then I won’t ask." Xiao Chong smiled, gesturing for Lin Wanwan to sit on the sofa, and handed her the cylinder, "This is your birthday present."

"There’s a gift too? You shouldn’t have." Lin Wanwan didn’t reach out to accept it.

"Hey, it’s something I prepared especially for you, are you going to refuse?" Xiao Chong slightly furrowed his brow, his downcast eyes seemed to narrate grievance.

A boy showing such a pure and innocent expression, making one feel that refusing him would be an unforgivable sin.

Lin Wanwan involuntarily took it, "What is it?"

"You’ll know when you open it."

So Lin Wanwan opened the lid of the cylinder, took out its contents, and when she unfolded it, it was a painting.

The painting depicted a side view of a ponytailed girl, gazing intently at a picture of Sleeping Beauty from an ancient time.

The girl’s face looked almost identical to the ancient lady in the painting, the only difference being their apparent ages.

This was clearly a scene from the October holidays at Lu’s Museum, where Lin Wanwan was observing the portrait of the beautiful lady passed down in history by Xiao Chong.

The painting created a sense of a time-space intersection due to the identical faces of the modern girl and the ancient Sleeping Beauty, as if the girl was reminiscing her past life, instantly captivating anyone who saw it.

The brushwork was amazing!

Lin Wanwan, who had no particular expertise in art, felt an inexplicable shock at seeing the painting.

"Is this...did you paint it? How long did it take?"

"About half a month." Xiao Chong’s eyes were fixed intently on Lin Wanwan, "Do you like it?"

Lin Wanwan’s gaze lingered on the painting, not even noticing Xiao Chong’s unabashed stare, and she nodded vigorously at his words, "I like it, I really like it, thank you."

If it were some other expensive gift, Lin Wanwan might have refused, but since it was a painting by Xiao Chong himself, she could accept it easily.